Strand-twisting machine



Dec. 7, '1926. f 1,609,455

H. J. BOE

STRANDv 'TwIsTING MACHINE Fild'Feb. 9. 1924 2 sheis-sneez :z

QL. v65

. 7 Patented De.. 7,l 192e.A

UNITED STATESA HELMER JOHN BOE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR '.IIOA WESTERN-ELCTRIC COM- '.PANY, INCORPORATED, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

STRAND-TWISTING MACHINE.

Application led February 9, 1924. l Serial No. 691,554.

. tively stationary center member, upon which 1 is carried a plurality of reels of conductors to be twisted, the conductors being drawn therefrom land guided over rollers and through-a mouthpiece to a pulley positioned at the axis of the rotating Hier, .drawn through the iier and withdrawn therefrom at a position diametrically opposite the point at which they enter and in'a reverse direc-l tion from that at which they engage the pulley. For each revolution of the iier two twists will be .put into the conductors one before they enter the flier and a second just after leaving the flier.

An object of the invention is to provide a machine of this type with an improved drive 55 for the Aiier which permits the weight of the iier to be reduced to a minimum thereby providing with safety a greater speed of operation and consequently a greater output i of twisted conductors in a given unit of time.

Another objectof the invention is to provide an improved arrangement of and rollers for guiding the strands from the supply reels to the flier whereby the tension on the conductors is reduced and damage to the insulation thereon minimized.

A further object of the invention is to provideI an improved mouthpiece through which the conductors pass after leaving the guide rollers to the point of the first twist to prevent entanglement of the conductors and to reduce the friction upon the insulation.

Other objects and advantages of the pres-jl ent invention will be set forth in the following description and particularly pointed out in the appended claims,

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a twisting machine partly in section embodying the fea- -tures of the invention; y

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view thereof partly in sectlon;

vings 17 and 18 respectively are spur view thereof;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail sectional view of a portion thereof; and

Fig. 5 is a lan section 'taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4 ooking in the direction of the arrows. v The preferred embodiment of the inven-V Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary side tion herein illustrated consists of a machine for twisting insulated wires, but it will be quitev evident that the invention lis `adaptable to practically any and all machines in which twisting operations are to be performed.

The` peratinor elements "of the machine in the specific embodiment are mounted in a lmi frame consisting of a base 10,-the uprights 11 and 12, and the upper cross rail 14. Any suitable driving means may be used such as an electric'motor 15 which is mounted on the cross rail 14, the shaftof the motor 15 being connected to a train of gears enclosed within the housings 16, 17, and 418 whereby' the movement of said' shaft will be transmitted to upper and lower yoke brackets 19 and 420 respectively. The gears in the housing 17 are interconnected withsuitable ears to the gears in a housing 21 which drlve a shaft rigidly connected to the capstan 24. Secured to the upper yoke'bracket 19 are the .downwardly extending yoke arms 25 and 26 which with the brackets 19 and 20 comprise a Hier 27. These arms are tubular in form, the wire to be twisted being carried in the tubular chamber of the arm 26, as illustrated in Fig. 3, which is fitted with a slot 28 by means of which the wire may be inserted within said tube without thrcading'it therethrough. The arms 25 and 26 of the yoke are connected at the bottom .of the machine to the lower yoke bracket 20 which is mount ed in a suitable bearing secured to. the hous-l in@ 18. v

' ecured to the motor shaft is a bevel gear 29 which meshes-with a similar gear 30 secured to a vertically disposed shaft 31 which extends through the housing 17 and Idownward into the lower housing 18 and suitably secured to the shaft 31 within the housears 32 and 33. The gears .32 and 33 are i enti- Vcal and through similar'gea'rs indicated at 34 and l35 and 36 and 37 rotate thel yoke brackets 19 and 2O` respectively which carry the arms 25 and 26 between them in the same direction in a manner well understood in the art of gearing. The simultaneous drive of the Hier 27 at the top and bottom thereof eliminates the excessive torsional ends the weight of the arms 25 and 26 may be reduced to a minimum and the speed of the machine increased, thereby resultingr in a greater output.

Suspended by a shaft 40 and a holding v nut 41 from the upper yoke' bracket 19 is a supply reel holder 42 to which are secured spindles 43 and 44 upon which are suitably mounted supply reels 45, 46, 47, and 48. Mounted'upon studs 50 suitably secured in bosses formed on the supply reel holder 42 are guide rollers 51 having a guide surface substantially the width of the reels. Carried upon the supply reel holder 42 below the spindle 44 are brackets 52 and 53. Angularly disposed upon each of the brackets 52 and 53 is a pairof guide rollers 54 and 55 and 56 and 57 respectively.

Suitably mounted in the base 6() of the reel holder 42 is a shouldered sleeve 61 which as clearly illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5 has mounted therein a plurality of tubes 62. As clearly illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3 the mouths 63 of the tubes 62 face toward the front of the machine and looking from the front two of the tubes are inclined slightly toward each set of spools-set in vertical arrangement.

The conductors from the supply reels are threaded over the pulleys 51 as clearly shown 40 in Figs. 2 and 3 the conductors from the `reels and 47 bein-g led over the rollers 51 and then over the angularly disposed rollers 54 and 55 to the mouths 63 of the pair of the tubes which are inclined toward the reels 45 45 and 47. The angular relation between each set of rollers 54 and 55 and 56 and 57 and the mouths 63 of each pair of tubes is such that the conductors pass over the rollers and through the tubes with a minimum amount of tension upon the conductor and of friction upon the insulation thereon. From the tubes 62 the conductorsl pass around a pulley 65 positioned in line with the axis of the rotatable flier l27 and suitably mounted upon. the lower yoke bracket 20, the pulley 65 being positioned at the lower end of the tubular arm 26 through which the conductors pass. A pulley 66 similar to the pulley is mounted in the upper yoke 50 'bracket 19, the pulleys 65 and 66 being so mounted that the inner guiding surfaces ,thereof lie in'substantially the same vertical plane, this plane being also common to the rotating axis of the flier 27.

05 The supply reel holder 42 is held stationary during the rotation of the iier 27 by a train of gears indicated at 67, which with the means for allowing the flier to be rotated when desired is similaito the means dis'- elofted in detail in the before mentioned patent to which reference may be had for a detailed description.

ln the operation of the machine the reels which carry the conductors to be twisted are first suitably mounted upon the spindles 43 and-44 carried lon the supply reel holder 42 in a manner fully disclosed in the before mentioned patent. Upon the placing of the reels in their propel' position upon the holder 42. the conductors are threaded over the guide rollers 51, the conductors from the reels 45 and 47 being then guided over the guide pulleys 54 and 55 and then' to the mouths 63 of onepair of tubes 62; similarly the conductors from tlle'reels 46 and 47 are threaded after past-:ing over the guide rollers 51 over the guide pulleys 56 and 57 and then to the mouths 63 of the other pair of tubes 62.

By providing guide rollers 51 with guide surfaces which are substantially the width ot' thefaee of the reels the angle of deflection of the conductors from the point of leaving the reels to the guide pulleys 54, 55, 56, and 57 while traveling toward the tubes 62 is reduced to a minimum and consequently the tension upon the conductors and resulting damage to the insulation thereon while being drawn from the reels is minimized. The four tubes 62 combined, provide a multi-oriticed member whereby each conductor after leaving its respective guide pulley 54, 55. 56, or 57 is brought into close relationship with the other conductors passing through the other tubes 62 preparatory to the twisting operation. This arrangement places the conductors in proper relation one to the other preventing entanglement and reduces friction between the. conductors since the conductors are held separated up to the point of twisting, the lfirst twist occuring between the lower end of the tubes andthe guiding surface of the pulley 65.

From the guide pulley 65 the conductors are threaded through the tubular arm 26 and then over the guide pulley 66 from whence several turns are taken around the capstan l24 after which the ends of the conductors 'arecarried to any suitable form of take-up mechanism (not shown).

The machine is now ready to be started providing the rate of rotation of the yoke has been properly adjusted with reference to the speed of rotation of the capstan 24 so that the proper number of twists per unit Ylength of conductor will be introduced into the conductors that are to be twisted. The number of twists per unit length may obviously be readily adjusted by either reducing or increasing the speed of the rotating iier 27 by means of the gearing interconnecting the shaft of the'motor and the upper and lower yoke brackets 19 and 20, or by changing the gear ratio inthe housing 21, vwhich controls the rate of rotation of the capstan 24. f

When the speed of rotation ofthe flier. and capstan has been properly determined and the gearing-adjusted so as' to obtain the desired length of twist; the main switch of the mlotor is actuated to. start the rotation of the flier and capstan. As the capstan rotates, the conductors are drawn from the,

time and the movement of which may .be conveniently controlled by the motor 15.

which also drives the twisting machine. The

conductors leaving the reels are guided by the respective pulleys so that they converge Aand are in effect/nested asthey leave the multi-orificed member. Y

Between the point of 'leaving the mouthpiece and their engagement with the `pulley the four conductors will be given a complete twist for each rotation, ofthe-flier since the pulley 65 is rotated with the flierand the conductors heldstationary as they emerge from the .multi-orificed member. At' the same time that this twist is introduced into the conductors, a second twist is being introduced into the conductors between thatportion of the conductors contained between thetguiding. .pulley 66^`nounted on and revolving with the upper yoke bracket 19 and the ,point ofcontact. betweenv the conductors and thel capstan 24. 'It will, there fore, be evident that as the iier27 is rotated andthe conductors are' dawn :from the supply reels and fed over the, several guiding rollers and pulleys through the tubular arm 26 to the capstan they are subjected to two complete twists for each rotation of the Hier. Further, it will bel evident that since the top and lower yoke brackets 19 and 20 respectively are )simultaneously rotated through the before -describedfgearing that` substantially no torsional stress will beimrted to the arms 25 and 26 during'such rotation and as a consequence the strength and weight 'thereof may be reduced to a minimum; Yalso due tol the lack `of torsional stress upenthe flier the machinemay be run at a much greater Speed-than vmachines ofv this type have been run heretofore thereby resulting ina greater output from the machine in a given unit of time.

' What is claimed is:

1. In .a strand twisting machine, a strand supply reel holder, apair of-supply reels mounted thereon, a'rotatable twlsting, element, means for drawing strands from said reels about said twisting element, means applied at opposite ends for rotating saId twisting element, means associated with said last mentioned means for maintaining the reel holder stationary, and means operated to place a double twist in. said strands for each complete rotation of said twisting4 element. 2. 'In a strand twisting machine, a strandl supply reel holder, a pair of supply reels mounted thereon, a rotatable twlsting element,`means for drawing strands from said reels about said twisting element, gears `mounted at opposite ends of said twisting element, a geartrain connecting said gears with a lsource 'of power,- differential gears drive from said gear train for maintaining t e reel holder stationary, and means operated to vplace 'a double twist in said strands for each complete rotation of said twisting element. v

3. In a strand twisting machine a stationary supply reel holderfaJ pair. of supply Vreels Lmounted thereon, a 'rotataldle twisting.

elementl pivoted to describe. a surface of revolution about the stationary reels and holderl upon. rotation of the element, and means to eliminate `the' torsional stresses in thetwisting-element.

4: ln a strand twisting machine, astationary supply reel holder, m'eans for rotatably mounting strand carrying Areels on said holder, strand guiding means 4associ ated with said holder having guide surfaces substantially the width of said reels, a second guiding means spaced therefrom and having a guiding surface substantially of the )diameter'of the strand to which the In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 29 day of JanuaryJA. D., 1924.

f 1 HELR Joan Bongv 

